Though she went out with a whimper — missing the cut in her final LPGA tournament on Nov. 21 — Sorenstam’s career scorecard holds up to just about any other in history. The 38-year-old Swedish superstar racked up 72 LPGA wins (including 10 majors), eight player of the year awards and more than $20 million in prize money. Having dominated the women’s tour, in 2003 she sought to challenge the men, becoming the first female golfer since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to contest a PGA Tour event. The same year, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Top 10 Female Sports Pioneers
When Japanese knuckleballer Eri Yoshida became the first woman drafted by a professional baseball team on Nov. 17, she joined an elite club of female athletes who have broken sport's gender barrier